Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-08-25

1
Respectfully,
E. kIEswETTER,
/ Auditor Of State.
The Board of Equalization is compos
ed of Emil Kieswetter Auditor of Stale)
John C. Brown Treasurer of State), and
J. C. Kohler (Attorney GeneraD.
Only one of the banks made complaint
to the County Auditor of the valuation
put upon its shares by that officer, and
that was a mild Il thiuk you assessed
US little too high"
Toe Constitution of Ohio declares
that the property of corporations shall
be subjected to taxation the same as the
property of individuals. The same SUI
preme law requires the property of in
dividuals to be listed at its true value
10 money" The 'true value in money
of these bank shares at the time they
were valued for taxation by the County
Auditor was, respectively
First National of GAINESVILLE .$I59, ,3I2
Peoples National of GAINESVILLE. So, I2I
First National of Bellaire . l9I ,365
First National of Bridgeport. 49,. pa, ,30I
First National of Flushing. -. 53,I94
First National of st. Clairsville. 49, l40, 1926
Total ...-..........-.... $o4f ,oIS
Against a total of s529.S2S fixed by the
State Board of Equalization. The Board
has arbitrarily taken off the tax dupli.
cate of this county S26. 1872 -off of proper
ty, too, that is worth 1924 POI more than
it was valued for taxation by the Board
and off property that is better able to
pay taxes than any other species of
property in the county. The property
of the poor widow, with her little home
stead and her COW, is assessed, in many
instances, at 70 to 80 per centum of its
value, while the shares of rich and
prosperous banker escape at 81 per
centum.
Governor Foraker, in one of his mes
sages to the Legislature. discussing the
question Of taxation, called attention to
the fact that officers whose duty it is to
fx values for taxation, knowingly vio-
late the law aud their oaths of Office,
and suggested that legislation should be
devised that would provide adequately
for valuation of all species of taxable
property as required by the Constitution.
and yet, here are three State officers,
meeting under the dome of the capitol,
one of them the State Auditor, who,
above all men in the state should look
after the enforcement of the
laws relating to taxation, not overlook
ing the provisions of the Constitution
relating to that subject. who deliberate
ly go to work and reduce the value of
better able to pay taxes than
any other species of property in the
county to SO per ceutum below what the
law says it shall be valued at, and
wantonly set at defiance the Constitu.
tion they have sworn to support and the
wise recommendations of the Governor,
to the advantage of rich and prosperous
and seriously wronging
men who have made honest returns Of
their property to the assessor.
There is no possible excuse nor justit
dcation for this reduction. II is wan
ton and arbitrary proceeding on the part
of the State Board of Equalization. a
that deserves the severest
at the hands of all men
whom it wrongs, and of all men who are
in good government. The
banks we're willing and able to pay tax
es upon the valuations fixed by the
County Auditor. Their shares are
among the most productive and desira>
BILE species of property in the county.
readily convertible into money, and it
should be understood by all concerned
that the public is not disposed TO tame
Iy submit to any special privileges ex'
tended to them by men charged with
fixing the valuations of their property
for taxation.
=.@.=.--s
THE State Board of Equalization of Railroad
Property held meeting in Columbus on Thurs
7 m